Reviews 73

91 Ratings

KIMBERLY KAY

11/5/2004

Thanks to the reviewers, I started off by cutting the water in half. Was glad I did since we prefer hearty soups. Highly suggest smoked ham hocks. Other additions include an extra pound of smoked ham, 3 stalks celery, 3 carrots, garlic powder, fresh parsley, thyme, marjoram, and sage. Thank you so much for this recipe! I have finally outperformed the legendary mother-in-law. Update: Freezing works on this soup, but I've recently decided I prefer halving the recipe so we can eat all of it fresh!

LEGALPEACH

1/13/2004

This is a fabulous recipe made even better by taking tips from a few of the reviewers who've already posted. Nice color, nice balance of flavors, very homey and comforting! I served this with some great crusty rolls and a nice green salad, and it was a HUGE hit even with my finicky teens. Here's what I did to "doctor" it up:
First, I cut back by half on the water. Second, I added about a Tbsp or so each of fresh sage, thyme and parsley (toward the end of cooking) and maybe half that amount of dried marjoram (because I couldn't find any fresh). Third, instead of ham hocks which my family doesn't like (or need :-)), I bought some wonderful smoky ham at the deli counter, cubed it up and added about 1/2 lb of it right at the beginning of cooking, then used the remainder to garnish. I did add one chicken bouillon cube but used low sodium chicken broth and added no additional salt, and it came out nicely. Last, I added some nice-sized chunks of carrots and celery, and cut my potatoes into larger chunks too, to give the soup a more hearty flavor and appearance.
One last tip -- This recipe makes a very large batch of soup, and I knew we would tire of it before it was eaten. So I froze half of it at the stage AFTER pureeing but BEFORE adding any milk. We'll enjoy it again one wintry evening!

SWALSIP

10/18/2003

Good recipe. Have made several versions with bacon, hamhocks, and ham bones. I prefer using smoked hamhocks and I always add some small diced boiled potato, carrots and about a cup and a half of cooked ham slice to the pot after I cream it. Makes it a little heartier and serve it with garlic bread and a salad. Very nice.